Living body holding method, living body test method, living body growing method, living body holding sheet, and living body processing device

Abstract

A method of arranging a large number of living bodies, such as cells, embryos, or organisms rapidly, individually, and one by one, a holding sheet for the method, and a device for processing the living bodies. The method of holding living bodies includes using a sheet in which multiple through-holes with a size capable of holding one of the target living bodies, but not capable of holding two or more of the living bodies, are provided, to thereby arrange and hold the living bodies one by one in the multiple through-holes in the sheet together with a liquid.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of holding living bodies, comprising:
 using a sheet in which multiple through-holes with a size capable of holding one of the living bodies but not capable of holding two or more of the living bodies are provided, to thereby arrange and hold the living bodies one by one in the multiple through-holes in the sheet together with a liquid such that the living bodies are not in direct contact with side walls of the through-holes; and 
 transferring a selected living body from each of the multiple through-holes to a container, 
 wherein the transferring comprises spraying with air a hole with the selected living body to blow the living body to the container, and 
 wherein a thickness of the sheet in a vicinity of each of the multiple through-holes is from 0.2 times to 1.9 times of a maximum thickness of the living bodies held in the respective through-holes. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein after the liquid having the living bodies is brought into contact with the sheet having the multiple through-holes, by removing excessive liquid from the sheet, one living body is held in each of the holes in the sheet together with the liquid that exists in the holes. 
     
     
       3. A test method using living bodies, comprising administering a material to each of the living bodies and examining a correlation with the material after the living bodies are held in the sheet by the method according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
       4. A growing method using multiple living bodies, comprising administering a material to each of the multiple living bodies to make the multiple living bodies grow within the through-holes in the sheet after the multiple living bodies are held by the method according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the proximity of the sheet that holds the multiple living bodies is controlled to a given environment. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the multiple living bodies comprises one of an individual in embryo, an individual after hatch, and an individual that has grown from the embryo. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the individual in embryo comprises one of an embryo of an amphibian and an embryo of a fish. 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the administering the material comprises supplying a liquid droplet containing one of one kind of physiological active agent and multiple kinds of physiological active agents to the multiple through-holes in the sheet. 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the liquid droplet is supplied by a discharging unit configured to a discharge liquid droplet of 100 pl (picoliter) or less. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 3 , further comprising conducting liquid exchange after the administering the material. 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the liquid within the multiple through-holes comprises at least any one of a moisturizing agent, a surface tension adjuster, and a thickener. 
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising introducing a light into the holes in the sheet for measurement or observation. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein an opening area of each of the multiple through-holes is from 1.05 times to 3.61 times of a maximum cross-section of the living bodies. 
     
     
       14. The method according to  claim 13 , wherein each of the through-holes has a diameter that does not change in a thickness direction of the sheet.